


Blameless

by Amythe3lder



Series: Irregular Pieces [15]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, M/M, Reichenbach Feels, Survivor Guilt, if you blink you'll miss the Johnlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-27 23:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2709878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amythe3lder/pseuds/Amythe3lder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Through the open front door of the flat, Sherlock spotted John coming up the stairs with three sacks of groceries and an adolescent girl. He knew her face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blameless

**Author's Note:**

> Oh no what's this  
> A spider web and I'm caught in the middle  
> "Trouble"- Coldplay

Sherlock was wrapping up a lecture on Vercingetorix and the Siege of Alesia. “So, in conclusion, Julius Caesar was a bit of a bastard.” He looked down at his pupil as she finally burped. He decided to take that as agreement. He wiped the drool off of Elanor Watson's chin with a corner of the tea towel on his shoulder. She grinned toothlessly at him and made burbling noises. “That’s all right,” he assured her, “It’s no trouble, really.”

Through the open front door of the flat, Sherlock spotted John coming up the stairs with three sacks of groceries and an adolescent girl. He knew her face.

His blogger paused in the doorway. “Sherlock, this is-”

“Claudette Bruhl. I remember.” John gave him a look that he couldn’t quite decipher and passed through into the kitchen with the bags. Sherlock turned to their guest and asked, “Are you allowed to bash around London without a chaperone?”

She looked momentarily offended. “I’m eleven,” she said defensively, then relaxed as she realised the detective was teasing her. Behind her, a man and a young teenage boy stopped on the landing.

“So no, in fact,” Sherlock said with his eyebrows raised.

Claudette turned when she heard her father and brother behind her and whispered something with one hand up. Her dad, the ambassador, waved her on. Sherlock understood that some part of this was diplomacy training. The girl turned back and said, “We wanted to say thank you for finding us, but you know, school.” Behind her, her older brother nodded sagely. Claudette lowered her voice and continued “And I wanted to say ‘sorry.’”

“You’re welcome, and why?”

“I’m sorry that I screamed at you,” she said to her shoes.

He felt certain there was something he was missing in this conversation, so he tried for some humour to draw her out. “Screaming at me is a common form of self-expression.” When she lifted her gaze and gave him a hesitant smile, he levelled with her. “I’m still not sure what you think you need to apologise for, Miss Bruhl.”

She took a deep breath and said, very quickly, “I thought you were the man who took us and I was so scared and everyone thought you were bad and then-” she took another breath, “they showed me a picture of you and I knew I’d got it wrong, it wasn’t you and you’d _died_. So I couldn’t take it back. And I wanted to.” She was trembling, and Sherlock felt ~~a little~~ stupid. This consequence was unintended, but predictable. She had been seven years old; of course she might think herself the catalyst in his apparent suicide. Children made the oddest connections. It would not have changed the outcome, but he should have seen this coming.

“It’s not your fault. I think we both did exactly what we were supposed to do. If someone scares you, you’d be right to make that known as loudly as you can.”

“That’s what my dad says.” The girl peered up at him, “Can I hug you?”

Sherlock rolled his eyes, “If you must.”

She gave him a squeeze, and he patted her back awkwardly with the hand that wasn’t holding Elanor. Claudette took a half-step back and said, “I’m really glad you’re not dead.”

The detective smiled at her. “Yep. So am I.”

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in the early summer during _Happiness Shared_ , but can be read alone.


End file.
